Electromagnetic relay



Sept. 11, 1962 Filed July 29, 1960 G. BRAUMANN ELECTROMAGNETIC RELAY 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Sept. 11, 1962 G. BRAUMANN ELECTROMAGNETIC RELAY 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 29, 1960 Sept. 11, 1962 e. BRAUMANN 3,053,953

ELECTROMAGNETIC RELAY Filed July 29, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 29, 1960 Sept. 11, 1962 G. BRAUMANN ELECTROMAGNETIC RELAY Filed July 29. 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 United States Patent Othce Patented Sept. 11, 1962 3,053,953 ELECTRQIVEAGNETEC RELAY Gnndokar Braumann, Munich, Germany, assignor to Siemens d: Halshe Alrtiengeseiischaft Berlin and Mnnich, a corporation of Germany Filed July 29, 1%0, Ser. No. 46,146 (Ilaims priority, application Germany Aug. 19, 1959 20 Claims. ((311. 200-103) This invention is concerned with an electromagnetic relay of the type which is increasingly coming into use, having magnetizable members arranged in superposed layers and forming magnetic circuits, such members comprising a flux member, a core member and an armature member the free end of which projects into an air gap formed by the other two members, a contact provided on the armature cooperating with a contact connected with the core member, thereby forming a structure utilizing parts of the magnetic circuits to serve as electrical conductors.

In prior relays of this kind, the iron parts of the magnetic circuits are fastened by insertion thereof into guide means provided in the interior space of a spool body for the magnetization winding. These guide means are formed as unitary parts of the spool body.

The object of the invention is to construct the carrier for the respective iron members of the magnetic circuits so as to simplify the assembly of such relays and to provide by the construction of the carrier for an advantageous and protected disposal of the contacts inside thereof.

This object is realized by subdividing the carrier into a plurality of layers, according to the arrangement of the iron members, inserting the fiat individual parts of the iron members between the layers of the carrier, and uniting the entire arrangement to form a structural unit by interconnecting the individual carrier parts.

It is known to construct an electromagnetic relay by inserting insulating plates between layers of iron members and to hold the entire structure together by screws, that is, to provide a relay arrangement in a manner such as is known from the stacked construction of contact sets.

It is furthermore known to secure a row of resilient socalled dry reed contacts disposed side by side along the separating plane of two half shells which are connected together. As contrasted therewith, the relays according to the invention are equipped with superposed magnetic circuits constructed of relatively rigid magnetic members.

The assembly of a relay as required by the invention, is greatly simplified by employing carrier parts provided with spaces formed therein for receiving the individual parts for the magnetic circuits which permit the insertion of these corresponding iron parts in simple manner. Another advantage of the carrier structure according to the invention results from constructing its layers so that they embrace or envelop the magnetic circuits with the contact points disposed in enclosed spaces or chambers. The layers of the carrier may also be formed so that the magnetic circuits in the various relay layers are disposed in mutually non-communicating regions.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, all layers of the carrier are made of the same shape, thereby simplifying production. A lid or cover of different shape may be provided if desired, merely for covering the topmost layer of the iron parts forming the magnetic circuits. The members forming the carrier layers are advantageously finished smooth on one side thereof and provided with tublike recesses or depressions on the opposite side for receiving the iron parts of the magnetic circuits.

A further production simplification which also favorably affects assembly operations is obtained by constructing the rims which delimit the tublike depressions of the carrier members, continuously and uniformly. The above mentioned dry reed devices having contacts disposed between half shells provide recesses along the rims of one half shell, for receiving the contacts. The disadvantage of this arrangement resides in accurate fitting of the contact springs in the recesses, which is due to the tolerances of the contact spring material, such disadvantage being avoided by the above described construction of the carrier members made according to the invention. The resulting improvement is particularly pronounced when employing glazed ceramic carrier members connected airtight by fusing and evacuating the spaces enclosing the contact points or filling them with a protective gas. it is of course understood that the individual carrier members forming the layers may be made of material other than ceramic material and that they may be interconnected by means other than fusing, for example, by welding or cementing. In the event that enclosure of the contact points is not required, the carrier members may of course be interconnected by mechanical fastening means.

In accordance with still another feature of the invention, the carrier members for a layer of a relay strip comprising plurality of relays disposed in a row and lying in a carrier layer alongside one another, are made of an integral structure including all carrier members for the corresponding layer of the entire relay strip.

The carrier members are advantageously disposed in a layer so that the armatures of the magnetic circuits located one adjacent to the other are disposed in carrier parts positioned one adjacent to but spaced from the other, such carrier parts respectively embracing or enveloping the corresponding armatures and associated flux members and being interconnected by webs so as to form a comblike structure.

In the previously mentioned dry reed devices having contacts disposed between two half shells, all successively located contacts are operatively aifected by a single winding. The above noted construction of the layers of carrier members in a relay strip in which a plurality of armatures are successively positioned distinguishes advantageously from the previously known arrangement since the armatures can be surrounded individually by respective coils, thus permitting operative actuation thereof each independent of others.

The construction of the carrier as contemplated by the invention offers in connection with individual relays as well as relay strips the possibility of assembling relay structures according to the building block principle, that is, a plurality of layers of magnetic circuits embraced by corresponding layers of the carrier can be joined, for example, by fusing, and, if desired, several such structures can be mechanically interconnected. For example, it is possible to keep in store a supply of relay strips having respectively three superposed magnetic circuits and also further relay strips having respectively two superposed magnetic circuits, such strips forming com pletely self-contained units, and to construct from these units by mechanical interconnection, for example, by clamping them together, relays or relay strips having respectively five, seven, eight, etc. magnetic circuits disposed in superposed layers. The structures can in this way be adapted to meet in simple manner requirements as to given contact combinations.

The various objects and features of the invention will appear from the description of embodiments which will be rendered below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings,

FIG. 1 shows in perspective representation the construction of a relay according to the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a relay strip constructed of relays such as the one indicated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a detail for FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 represents a further embodiment of a relay strip;

FIGS. 5 and 6 show respectively elevational side and end views of a relay strip constructed according to FIG. 4; and

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a relay strip constructed in accordance with the building block principle.

The carrier of the relay represented in FIG. 1 comprises members 1 and 2 disposed layer-wise superposed in accordance with the disposition of the iron members forming the magnetic circuits. These carrier members are of approximately T-shaped configuration. The bottom sides of the carier members indicated by numeral 1, which are not visible in the perspective representation, are of plane configuration and have as shown tublike depressions 3 formed therein which conform to the T-shape configuration thereof. The member 2 is plane on both sides and serves in a manner to be presently described, as a cover for the uppermost magnetic circuit of the relay.

The parts of one of the magnetic circuits for the relay comprise a core member 4 and a flux member 5, the latter carying, as shown in FIG. 3, on the side facing the core member 4, an armature movably journalled thereon. Welded to the core member 4- is a contact spring 6 having tongues or fingers 7 and 8 freely disposed with respect to the flux member and provided with contact points 9 and 10 on the sides thereof which face the armatures. The core member 4 is angularly shaped so as to extend into the tublike depression of the carrier member of the corresponding carrier layer.

The core member 4 is placed into the tublike recess or depression 3 of the carrier member 1 shown at the bottom of FIG. 1. The flux member 5 is thereupon placed into the T-bar extension of the same recess, which is directed to the left as shown in the drawing, such flux member thereby lying upon the lateral rim of the tublike recess and its end 11, which forms a soldering tab, extending beyond the corresponding carrier member. Guide brackets 12 are provided in the recess for the flux member, Such guide brackets entering with correctly inserted fiux member into cutouts 13 formed in angular ears 14 projecting from the flux member at right angles to the armature. The flux member 5 thus assumes a position in which its inner end overlaps the core member 4 forming with the latter a working airgap, the free end of the armature extending into such air gap. The armature is within the region of its free end provided with a contact point 24 (FIG. 3) which faces in the direction of the contact points 9 and 10 carried by the contact spring 6.

The structural parts, namely, the core member and the flux member, inserted as described into the carrier member at the bottom of FIG. 1, are thereupon covered by the second carrier member shown thereabove, such second carrier member being accordingly placed with its plane underside upon the first carrier member containing the parts of the magnetic circuit. The tublike recess 3 in the second carrier member (second carrier layer) is available for receiving parts of a second magnetic circuit and after being equipped therewith, will be covered in similar manner with a third carrier layer. The number of superposed layers is not limited to two layers.

Utilization of similar iron parts for the magnetic circuits as well as similarly shaped carrier members permits in the described manner superposed arrangement of any practically desired number of layers of magnetic circuits. The last layer is suitably covered by means of a cover indicated in FIG. 1 by numeral 2. A structural unit is in this manner produced which is smoothly closed along all sides and from which extend only the soldering tabs 11 and 15 of the flux members and the core members, respectively, which are required for connecting the curent terminal connections and parts associated therewith. These freely accessible parts of the magnetic members can then be magnetically conductively but electrically insulatingly interconnected, on the outside of the unit, so as to improve the flux conditions and the sensitivity of the relay. The windings required for the operation of the relay can be wound as free coils and placed directly upon the portions of the assembled carrier members which extend from the respective T-bars to the left as shown in the drawing.

The carrier members may be made of any desired and suitable insulating material and may be interconnected in suitable manner by cementing, welding or mechanically.

The carrier members are advantageously made of a material, for example, of ceramic material, which permits fusion thereof. A surface glazing is for this purpose suitably provided which has a melting point lower than that of the ceramic material.

As will be apparent from the drawing, each contact point of the relay is disposed within an individually enclosed space or chamber. The fusing together of the carrier members can be carried out in a vacuum furnace, thereby effecting evacuation of the spaces containing the contacts and airtight closure thereof. There is moreover the possibility of applying during the fusing appropriate measures so as to effect filling of the corresponding spaces with a protective gas.

The relay strip illustrated in FIG. 2 is constructed of relays such as described above and represented in FIG. 1. These relays are combined in a structural unit in which the individual carrier members lying one next to the other are combined to form comblike integral structural parts 16, 17, the core members for the successively disposed relays being formed by an integral structural part 18 extending through all the relays in the corresponding layer.

The layer of carrier members 16 is on its bottom side again of plane formation and provided on the other side thereof with a number of tublike recesses or depressions 1% corresponding in number to the number of relays to be formed in the respective layer. The finx members employed are indicated by numeral 20. The illustrated relay strip comprises for each iron magnetic circuit layer five such flux members. ()nly one flux member has been shown for simplification, being represented again in FIG. 3, showing the side thereof on which is journalled the armature 21 which is movably connected with the flux member by means of a spring 22, such spring being disposed between the armature and the flux member and at one end thereof Welded to the flux member and at the other end thereof welded to the armature. The axis of rotation of the armature is formed by a boss 23 which is engaged by the rearward part of the armature. Near its free end is formed a transversely extending cylindrically shaped contact point 24. Numeral 25 designates a soldering tab extending from the flux member.

The relay strip is assembled in layers in a manner similar to that described for the assembly of the individual relay shown in FIG. 1. The core member 18 is first positioned with its various parts in the recesses or depressions in the carrier member 16 shown at the bottom of FIG. 2. The core member is made in angularly meandering or undulating fashion, thus forming the portions provided with the slotted contact springs 26 which come to lie in the tublike recess 19 of the bottom carrier layer 16. The contact springs 26 are provided with contact points 27 and 28 corresponding to the contact point 7 and 8 of FIG. 1 and facing in corresponding direction.

The same bottom carrier layer is thereupon provided with the flux members 20 which carry the armatures. These flux members are again inserted so that the guide brackets 29 enter into cutouts 30 in the angular cars 31, thereby locating the flux members in proper positions.

The second carrier layer (second from the top of F1 2) is then placed with its plane bottom side upon the first carrier layer (bottom in FIG. 2) which has been equipped with the iron parts of the magnetic circuits, whereupon such second carrier layer is similarly equipped and covered with a further carrier layer (not shown) into which iron parts of magnetic circuits are inserted in like manner, etc., thus providing a desired number of superposed carrier layers containing iron parts of magnetic circuits. The uppermost layer of magnetic circuits is thereupon covered by means of the member 17 FIG. 2 also shows a weblike member 32 provided with angular extensions 33 and 34. This member establishes a magnetically conductive connection between the flux members and the core members and is electrically insulated therefrom. The respective carrier layers are provided with grooves 35, 36, formed therein for receiving the extensions 33, 34. The web 32 is placed upon the ends of the flux members projecting from the assembled carrier body, adjacent the soldering tabs thereof and electrically insulated therefrom, with the extensions 33 and 34 inserted in the grooves 35 and 36 and with the free ends of such extensions in overlapping relationship with the core member.

The carrier layers can again be made of formed ceramic material and fused together as described before. Each individual contact of the relay strip is in this structure contained within an inclosed space or chamber which is preferably either evacuated or filled with a protective gas.

The actuating or energizing windings are made in the form of coils freely wound without spools and are placed upon the parts of the carrier layers which envelop the respective flux members. The comblike construction of the carrier layers offers the advantage of allocating individual energizing coils to the respective row-like arranged armatures. There may be provided an individual holding coil for each contact (relay) or a common holding coil for a plurality of contacts (relays).

FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment according to the invention, namely, a relay strip which differs from the one shown in FIG. 2 in the provision of relays disposed in rows in each magnetic circuit layer, having in each case two flux members respectively equipped with armatures and lying opposite each other in overlapping relationship with a common core member. The carrier layers are designated by numerals 37 and the cover is designated by numeral 38. The core member 39 is constructed as a unitary structural part which is common to all magnetic circuit layers of the row-wise extending relays and has substantially the same shape as the core member 18 shown in FIG. 2 except for some-what differently shaped contact springs 40 which are slotted at each end and extend from opposite ends thereof in accordance with similarly disposed armatures. These contact springs are equipped with contact points exactly as the contact springs of the previously described embodiments. The flux members 20 are of the same configuration as those provided in the previously described embodiments. There are twelve flux members for each magnetic circuit layer of the structure shown in FIG. 4, only two such flux members being for the sake of convenient representation shown in connection with the illustrated layer.

Another difference as compared with FIG. 2 resides in the construction of the flux return path which comprises a weblike strip 41 welded to the core member 39. Weblike strips 42, 43 are provided for interconnecting the ends of the flux members with the web 41 and thereby the core member 39. The flux return means may be shaped differently, as will be presently explained with reference to the figure to be described next; it may also be mentioned at this point that the construction of the parts of the magnetic circuits may vary widely within the scope of the invention.

The carrier members which again form for each layer a common structural part are constructed in the fashion of double combs and have recesses r depressions 44 formed therein which are of double-T configuration. The

disposition and assembly of the individual layers is effected as explained in connection with the previously described embodiments and repetition thereof can accordingly be omitted. The difference of the arrangement according to FIG. 4, as compared with the previous structures, resides in providing two contact means Within the respective spaces of chambers formed by the recesses in the carrier members for the respective layers.

It is of course understood that the arrangement according to FIG. 4 can be employed for providing in superposed layers as many magnetic circuits as may be practically desired.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a relay strip with four superposed magnetic circuits, comprising parts which are constructed and assembled as explained in connection with FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 illustrates particularly the disposition of the coils for the relay strip. The individual carrier layers are connected together by fusing, thus forming a structural unit from which extend the flux members 20, the core members 39 and the sheets 41. Energization or excitation coils 45 are provided for each row of superposed armatures, such coils being freely wound and placed upon the parts of the respective carrier layers which enclose the corresponding armatures. Two holding coils 46 are provided for each six serially positioned relays (contacts).

The coils are, as explained, simply placed upon the corresponding parts of the carrier members, insulating plates 47, provided with slots formed therein, being placed upon the ends of the flux members 20 and the sheets 41 which project from the carrier members. These plates are held by magnetically conductive sheets 48, thus holding the coils in place. The sheets 48 also serve for the flow of the return flux, that is, they have in addition to their holding function the further function of the weblike magnetically conductive sheets indicated in FIG. 4 by numerals 42 and 43. The sheets 48 are provided with U-sh-aped ribs 49 bent therefrom and extending longitudinally of the relay strip, such ribs having slots formed therein through which the free ends of the core members and the sheets 41 project. These slots are dimensioned so that the sheets clamp on the parts. Care must of course be taken to avoid electrical connections between the flux members, which is in simple manner done by disposing thin insulating foil on the inside of the sheets, The plates 47 serve also as carriers for rectifiers 50. As will be seen from FIG. 5, there is provided a rectifier for each relay. The coil wiring is simplified by the provision of a contact bracket 51 which is clamped fast in a recess 52 of an outer carrier layer. The sheets 4-8 are for each side of the relay strip formed as integral members extending through all structural parts along the corresponding side and clamped fast thereon. A modification is of course possible by providing an individual sheet for each row of serially related structural parts.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a relay strip constructed according to the building block principle and following subst-antially the structure explained with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6, FIG. 7 showing in perspective representation two respectively self-contained units 55 and 56 and FIG. 8 showing these units assembled and as seen from the side thereof.

The unit 56 shown in the lower part of FIG. 7 comprises two layers of magnetic circuits assembled by the use of carrier layer members 37, 38 which are fused together. The top unit 55 includes three layers of superposed magnetic circuits which are assembled in similar manner. The illustrated units are simply placed one upon the other and, after being equipped with coils 57 and 58, are held together by means of insulating plates 53 and sheets 54 which are of a configuration similar to that of the sheets 48 in FIG. 6

The possibility of selectively assembling relays or relay strips having numbers of contacts corresponding to given requirements constitutes a particular advantage of the invention.

The invention is of course not inherently limited to the examples shown and described. As already noted, the parts of the magnetic circuits may be differently shaped and the individual carrier members of the layers may be given different form without departing from the scope of the invention.

Changes and modifications are accordingly possible within the scope and spirit of the appended claims which define what is believed to be new and desired to have protected by Letters Patent.

I claim:

1. An electromagnetic relay comprising a plurality of iron parts forming magnetic circuits disposed in superposed layers and respectively including a fiux member and a core member spaced from said flux member by an air gap formed therebetween and further including an armature movably disposed within said air gap, contact means carried by said armature for cooperation with contact means carried by one of said members, carrier means subdivided into assembled superposed layers for retaining therebetween parts of the respective magnetic circuits in cooperating position thereof with portions of some of said iron parts inserted between the respective carrier layers and outwardly projecting therefrom, means for firmly interconnecting said assembled superposed carrier layers to form a structural unit, coil means carried by said assembled and firmly interconnected carrier layers for magnetizing the parts of the respective magnetic circuits so as to effect operative actuation of the respective armatures thereof, and current terminal means for said outwardly projecting parts of said magnetic circuits for utilizing the iron parts thereof as electrical conductors.

2. An electromagnetic relay according to claim 1, wherein said contact means carried by said armature cooperates with contact means carried by said core member.

3. An electromagnetic relay according to claim 1, wherein said carrier layers are constructed so as to form in assembled condition enclosed chambers in which are disposed contact means carried by parts forming said magnetic circuits.

4. An electromagnetic relay according to claim 1, wherein said carrier layers are constructed so as to form in assembled condition individually enclosed chambers in which are disposed contact means carried by parts forming the respective magnetic circuits.

5. An electromagnetic relay according to claim 1, wherein identically constructed carrier layers each with at least one recess formed therein are assembled one above the other and firmly interconnected together with a cover member for the topmost carrier layer, thus forming super-posed enclosed chambers in which are disposed contact means carried by parts forming said magnetic circuits.

6. An electromagnetic relay according to claim 1, wherein identically constructed carrier layers each with at least one recess formed therein are assembled one above the other and firmly interconnected together with a cover member for the topmost carrier layer, thus forming superposed individually enclosed chambers in which are disposed contact means carried by parts forming the respective magnetic circuits.

7. An electromagnetic relay according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of carrier layers each having a flat side and having at least one recess fonned on the other side thereof and containing parts of a magnetic circuit are assembled one above the other with the flat side of each upwardly successive carrier layer covering the magnetic circuit parts contained in the recess of the carrier layer disposed underneath thereof, and a cover for the recessed side of the topmost carrier layer in which are likewise disposed parts of a magnetic circuit, said carrier layers being assembled and firmly interconnected with said cover to form a unitary structure.

8. An electromagnetic relay according to claim 7,

wherein the recesses in the respective carrier layers are of tublike configuration with the delimiting rims thereof extending continuous in an uninterrupted plane.

9. An electromagnetic relay according to claim 8, wherein said carrier layers are made of ceramic material provided with a surface glazing of glass having a melting point which is lower than that of such ceramic material.

10. An electromagnetic relay according to claim 1, wherein said assembled superposed carrier layers are fused together to provide the firm interconnection therefor.

11. An electromagnetic relay according to claim 1, wherein said assembled superposed carrier layers are bonded together providing airtight connections therebetween.

12. An electromagnetic relay according to claim 1, wherein said carrier layers are constructed so as to form in assembled superposed and firmly interconnected condition enclosed evacuated chambers in which are disposed contact means carried by parts forming said magnetic circuits, said firm interconnection of said carrier layers being effected by bonding said carrier layers together to provide airtight connections therebetween.

13. An electromagnetic relay according to claim 1, wherein said carrier layers are constructed so as to form in assembled superposed and firmly interconnected condition enclosed chambers filled with a protective gas and respectively containing contact means carried by parts forming said magnetic circuits, said firm interconnection of said carrier layers being effected by bonding said layers together to provide airtight connections therebetween.

14. An electromagnetic relay according to claim 1, comprising a magnetically conductive sheet member provided with slots formed therein for receiving the respective outwardly projecting parts of said magnetic circuits, said slots being dimensioned so as to clamp said sheet member unto said parts.

15. An electromagnetic relay comprising a plurality of units made according to claim 1 connected together to form a unitary structure.

16. An electromagnetic relay comprising a plurality of units made according to claim 1, and magnetically conductive sheet metal means provided with slots for receiving the respective outwardly projecting parts of the magnetic circuits of said units for holding said units together to form a unitary structure, said slots being dimensioned so as to clamp said sheet means unto said parts.

17. An electromagnetic relay structure comprising a plurality of integrally formed carrier layers disposed in superposed firmly interconnected relationship according to claim 1, said layers forming a relay strip comprising a plurality of serially successively disposed individual relays positioned in superposed layers.

18. An electromagnetic relay strip structure according to claim 17, wherein the successive armatures of the relays in each layer are disposed within spaced apart portions of the respective carrier layers forming a comblike structure.

19. An electromagnetic relay strip structure according to claim 18, comprising magnetizing coil means carried by the respective spaced apart portions of said carrier layers.

20. An electromagnetic relay strip structure according to claim 17, wherein the contact points of each individual relay are disposed within respectively individual chambers formed by said assembled carrier layers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 994,345 Sundh June 6, 1911 1,318,178 Reed Oct. 7, 1919 2,305,450 Stibitz Dec. 15, 1942 2,361,579 Wagenseil Oct. 31, 1944 2,564,432 Hickman Aug. 14, 1951 2,610,242 Farkas Sept. 9, 1952 2,863,020 Braumann Dec. 2, 1958 

